RANGERS ........... 6 DUNFERMLINE...0

Ruthless rout is a confidence booster ahead of Hibs crunch

NEWS just in. Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has offered Rangers £1million for highlights of last night’s brutal thrashing of Dunfermline Athletic — and promised it top billing on his new bloodsports channel.

Honestly? Next to what we saw at Ibrox last night, the cold-blooded shooting of even the most cuddly woodland creatures may seem tame. Four up inside 26 minutes, Pedro Caixinha’s men conducted a sporting slaughter of their Championship opposition to secure a spot in the Betfred Cup quarterfinals, eventually running out 6-0 winners. And it could have been more.

If progress to the last eight of the League Cup had already been assumed by fans, no one who witnessed the home team’s performance in Govan last night would be unaware of its wider implications.

Hibs are visitors to Ibrox on Saturday, the teams meeting for the first time since the 2016 Scottish Cup final. No one round these parts needs reminded of how that finished. None will be satisfied unless and until their conquerors at Hampden are torn asunder.

With Hibs having looked impressive in their own last-16 tie just 24 hours earlier, scudding five past Ayr United without reply, the stage is set for a battle royale, all right. What a pity none of the TV companies with rights to Scottish football have opted to cover the undoubted pick of the weekend card.

Still, there’s always the chance of Stan the Man stealing in with a bid from KillBunny TV or whatever he’s called his new niche station...

Last night, two goals inside the opening nine minutes — a smart Kenny Miller finish and a stunning Bruno Alves free-kick — killed Dunfermline before they had even had chance to draw breath.

Strikes from Alfredo Morelos — booked for diving into the crowd in an early contender for celebration of the season — and James Tavernier doubled the advantage with just 27 minutes on the clock.

By the time Daniel Candeias scored with a sweet second-half free-kick of his own and Morelos bagged his second 15 minutes from the end, Dunfermline had been beaten beyond all recognition. Hardly an unexpected outcome, all things considered.

Because, even allowing for the potential of football to kick favourites right up the backside, Rangers boss Caixinha could not have anticipated a slip-up here. Certainly not after the lightning start his team made.

Just five minutes were on the clock when Rangers took the lead. Was it too early to describe it as deserved? No, not on the balance of what play we’d seen.

Still, Dunfermline would have been kicking themselves for helping their hosts to break the deadlock, dawdling in possession and allowing the livewire Morelos to steal the ball.

Although Sean Murdoch made a fine one-handed save from Graham Dorrans to thwart the initial danger, Miller had time and space to do what he does best, rifling the ball into the roof of the net.

Even at this stage, the small band of travelling fans must have feared the worst. Every time Rangers got the ball, the visitors were being ripped apart.

If the loss of a second goal with just shy of nine minutes gone was hardly a surprise, the nature of the strike still took the breath away.

Awarded a free-kick on the edge of the Dunfermline box, to the left of goal, every would-be taker in the home XI was brushed aside by a determined Alves.

With the cries of ‘Bruno, Bruno’ already ringing around Ibrox, the central defender curled the sweetest of dead-ball efforts over the wall and into the near top corner.

In a game with plenty of highlights for home fans, here was a moment of pure class that wouldn’t have looked out of place on any stage.

Not that supporters had much time to reflect on the moment of brilliance. Not with the pace being set by their side.

Tavernier was just off target with a low, right-footed shot just moments after the second restart; call it a range finder for a better effort to follow later.

Rangers were absolutely clinical in picking the opposition apart, as goals three and four demonstrated.

The third came at the end of a lightning break, Miller playing in Morelos for a fine finish — and a truly barmy celebration that, inevitably, saw him yellow-carded by referee Don Robertson.

And the fourth, with just 27 minutes gone? Dorrans, Miller, Tavernier with the finish. As quick — and as simple — as that.

In the interim, Dunfermline had hinted at some kind of threat. Declan McManus beat Rangers goalkeeper Jak Alnwick with a free-kick that rattled the bar.

But, really, it was now all about damage limitation. As became clear when, just before the half-hour mark, manager Allan Johnston removed forward David Hopkirk and threw centre-half Jean-Yves Mvoto into a back five.

In fairness, it worked. Dunfermline managed to hang on for the rest of the first half without losing a fifth.

And it took almost 60 seconds for Rangers to get a sight on goal at the start of the second half, Morelos testing Murdoch with a shot straight at the keeper.

When Rangers were awarded another inviting free-kick with 56 minutes on the clock, the inevitable cries of ‘Bruno!’ from the crowd were cut short by Caixinha substituting the central defender, Danny Wilson taking his place.

There was a certain inevitability, of course, about Candeias stepping up to bury the set-piece with power and precision.

And there was still time for Morelos to score his second, burying a rebound after Tavernier’s shot had been saved.

This was a night for flicks and tricks, party pieces and shows of strength. A night for smooth progress. And, with one eye on the weekend visit of Hibs, statements of menacing intent?